Improvement in machines for raking and loading hay



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEo IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR -RAKING ANDLOADING HAY.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 54.392, dated May 1,1866.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Fos'rER NEvERGoLD and GEORGE SrAoKHoUsE, both ofthe city at' Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and itate ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and useful lmprovementin Machines forRaking and Loading Hay; and we hereby declare l that the following is afull, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation Yof the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making apart of this specitlcation, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective viewFig. 2, a view of the machine taken from below, and Fig. 3 a side view.Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section thereof.

The nature of our invention consists in providing, in addition to therake which performs the gathering of the hay, another rake, arranged andoperating so as to take up the hay during the progress of the machineand to deposit the same on a platform provided for the purpose, themachine being intended to be attached to a wagon for the reception ofthe hay, so that the hay, after heilig deposited on the platform, mayeasily be removed into the wagon.

In order to set forth the arrangement and construction of ourimprovement more fully, We will proceed to describe the accompanyingdrawings, in all the figures of which the same letters of reference aremarked on like parts. In the perspective drawing, Fig. 1, a portion ofthe platform is represented being broken off, in order to uncover someparts which otherwise could not be seen in said figure.

A A is the frame of the machine, set on two Wheels, B B. a c are twoarms, by means of which the machine is hitched to the wagon l forthereception ofthe hay. C G are the prongs of the gathering-rake,fastened to a shaft, b,

` which rests on bearings c c. There is alever, d, y attached firmly tothe shaft b, which atits lower end has a small roller, c, rolling on thesurface of the ground, whereby the ends ofthe prongs r C C areconstantly kept in proper position in relation to the surface of theground, so that g they will neither cut into nor be raised above l thesurface in case of any unevenness in the same. This roller c is heldsteadily down to the ground by the action of a spring, f, fast A ened tothe frame and acting against two short levers, g g, set rmly on theshaft b.

D D are the prongs of the elevating rake, which serves to raise the haygathered bythe rake U upon a platform, E, on the front part of theframeA AA of the machine. The prongs D D are secured to a bar, h, theends ofwhich are square and enter into the slotted openings of the armsc' i, so that they cannot turn but may freely slide in the said slots.The arms Li are solidly secured to the shaft 7c, which rests with itsjournals in the bearings r r.

lis a pinion on the shaft k, gearing into a rack,m, which is made toslide, it being guided by the blocks n n, fastened to the frame andrespective slotted openings o o in the rack.

p p is a connecting-rod or pitman, which by link-joints is attached tothe rack m, and at its other end to the wrist or crank-pin q at thewheel B. A

The bearings r r, supporting the shaft/c, are also made to slide, beingguided by the blocks s s, passing through the slotted openings in theanges of the bearings. These bearings are connected by links u a withthe arms f1; of a rocking shaft, 1c, which, by means of its lever-arm xand a connecting-rod or pitman, y, is connected with the crank pin orwrist z on the wheel B.

The operation of these parts composing our improved machine is asfollows: When the machine, being attached by means of the arms a to awagon for the reception of the hay, moves over the ground the ends oftherake C C are kept closely down to the surface, accommodating themselvesto any unevenness therein by means of the roller c and the action of thespring f. The hay spread over the ground will thereby be raked togetherand gathered on the prongs C C. From distance to distance the haythusgathered will be taken up from said prongs, lifted up, and depositedon the platform E `by the operation of the rake D. To accomplish thispurpose this rake receives a compound motion-viz., a reciprocating(forward and backward) and at the same time a semi-rotary motion. Thereciprocating motion is derived from the crank-wrist z of the wheel B bythe action of the pitman y, leverm, rock-shaft fw, arms o o, and thelinks n u, which connect with the sliding bearings r r, communicatin gthus a forward and backward motion to the same, and to the shaft 7c,which is car ried by the said bearings, and nally to the rake D, whichis connected with this shaft by the slotted lever-arms i t'. In order toimpart to the rake D simultaneously a semi-rotary motion, the shaft lais provided with the pinion Z, which meshes into the teeth of the rackm. If the rack were stationary, it would, without further means, causethe shaft to partially revolve in its forward and backward motion 5 butthis motion is not so much as to produce a complete half-circular turnof the rake D, which is required to lift the hay and to deposit it onthe platform. The rack is therefore arranged to have also a slidingmotion in opposite direction of the motion of the rake-shaft 7c by meansof the crank-wrist q on the wheel B and the pitman p connecting thewrist with the rack. By this arrangement the revolving motion of thepinion, and consequently of the rake D, is increased so as to describethe desired complete halfcircle.

The ends of the prongs D of the rake are made to extend fully between,and even a little beyond, the Aprongs of the rake C, taking thereby allthe hay gathered thereon and lifting it up but it is evident thattheprongs D, in their return ordescendin g motion, would shove the haygathered ou the prongs C C during thc ascending or forward motion of therake D back on the ground again. To avoid this the rake D is made toyield, for which purpose the arms t i are made slotted, allowing therebythe bar or shaft 7c to slide in the same, or to ascend sufficiently tolet the ends of the prongs, in their backward movement, ride over thehay accumulated on the prongs C C, instead of shoving it back. Inadvancing or ascending again the rake D will freely drop into itsoriginal position, so that its prongs will reach between the prongs ofrake U again, ready to take up the hay, lifting and depositing it on theplatform E. There are slots jj cut out of the platform, into which theprongs D D will enter when in their highestpositiog, Y

The figures represent the rake D in different positions. Thus, in thesection,Fig. 4, the same is shown in its lowest position, commencing itsmotion, which motion is indicated by dotted.

lines. In Fig. 3 the rake D is represented in its highest position, inwhich it deposits the hay on the platform. The perspective view, Fig. l,shows an intermediate position.

We wish to remark here that the arrangement of the parts imparting tothe elevatingrake D the compound motion, as herein set forth, may bemodified in various Ways, and the same motion may be produced by otherknown mechanical means arranged for the purpose. wish it, therefore,distinctly understood that, while we consider our described arrangementas novel and forming a part of our invention, the employment in a rakingmachine of an elevating-rake such as herein 'described forms in itself,and independently 4 of any means used for its motion, a distinct featureof novelty.

Having thus fully described our improved machine for raking and loadinghay, what we cla-i n herein as new, and desire to secure by mark YGEORGE STACKHOU SE,

Witnesses THos. OWsfroN, J AMEs STEIN.

